Egg harvester

ABSTRACT

An egg harvester ( 100 ) has a shuttle ( 101 ) where a top run ( 32 ) of a conveyor ( 30 ) defines horizontal slots ( 40, 90 ) to receive eggs from a mat ( 10 ) on which eggs are laid. Damaged eggs and litter are separated on a transfer conveyor ( 60 ), and the sound eggs are transferred to an egg belt by a transverse conveyor ( 68 ). Fresh litter can be laid on the mat ( 10 ) as the shuttle ( 101 ) advances under the birds ( 50 ) in the nests ( 51 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] THIS INVENTION relates to an egg harvester.

[0003] 2. Prior Art

[0004] The egg harvester, by the present applicants, disclosed inInternational Publication WO 92/20222 (=AU-B-17690/92/(659642)/=EP0591468 B1/=U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,067) was a major advance on existingcommercial egg harvesters available at the beginning of the 1990's.

[0005] There were three important concepts relevant to the design of theegg harvester of WO 92/20222. These were as follows:

[0006] a) the hens were to be disturbed as little as possible, while ontheir nests, as the eggs are harvested;

[0007] b) the hens were to be provided with individual nesting boxes forprivacy while they were laying; and

[0008] c) the nesting boxes were to be provided with litter flooring.

[0009] While the egg harvester of WO 92/20222 was a considerable advanceover the existing commercial egg harvesters, as stated above, the designcriteria resulted in two practical limitations.

[0010] Firstly, to minimise disturbance to the hens as the eggs werecollected, the intermediate floor section, mounted on the shuttle orcarriage which moved along the harvester, was arranged substantiallyco-planar with the adjacent ramp sections of the belt forming the floorof the nesting boxes, so that the slots through which the eggs fell weresubstantially vertical, ie., as the slots were advanced along the floorof the nesting boxes, the eggs (72) and litter (73) fell through theslots (70) and the eggs were separated from the litter by an eggseparator (74), in which a plurality of radial fingers (75) wereprovided on a shaft (76) journalled transversely to the shaft frame.Fixed fingers (77) provided between every second pair of radial fingers(75) guided the eggs (72) onto an inclined tray (78), which transferredthe eggs to a shuttle egg conveyor (79). In practice, it was found thatthe eggs were liable to be damaged when two eggs fell together onto theegg separator (74).

[0011] Secondly, the provision of individual nesting boxes for each henproved inefficient use of the floor space occupied by the egg harvester.Furthermore, the inventor has observed that the hens are happier whenthey are allowed to lay their eggs in small groups, eg., of 6-12 hens.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0012] It is an object of the present invention to provide an eggharvester where the orientation of the slot(s) through which the eggs(and litter) is/are passed for separation is arranged to minimise damageto the eggs.

[0013] It is a preferred object of the present invention to provide anegg harvester where the orientation of the slot(s) is/are arranged tocause the hens to be at least momentarily disturbed, ie., to cause thehens to stand up as the slots pass under the nesting boxes.

[0014] It is a further preferred object of the present invention toprovide a harvester where the nesting boxes are arranged for moreefficient use of the nest floor area occupied by the birds.

[0015] It is a further preferred object of the present invention toprovide a harvester nest system which can be raised or lowered to assistin the training of young hens to use the harvester.

[0016] It is a further preferred object of the present invention toprovide a harvester which enables improved shed management.

[0017] Other preferred objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description.

[0018] In one aspect, the present invention resides in an egg harvesterfor collecting eggs of laying hens or the like, including:

[0019] an elongate hen-laying zone, having a plurality of hen-layingstations or nests along the zone;

[0020] a flexible mat, belt or band, extending along the zone formingthe floor for the laying stations or nests;

[0021] a shuttle or carriage movable along the zone;

[0022] roller, drum, disc or bar means on the shuttle or carriage,engageable with the mat to selectively reflect or guide a portion of themat, as the shuttle or carriage advances, below the level of adjacentportions of the mat;

[0023] an intermediate floor section, having a belt or band, on theshuttle or carriage, with respective end portions of the intermediatefloor section spaced at a level above the adjacent portions of the mat,the respective end portions of the intermediate floor section and theadjacent portions of the mat forming respective, substantiallyhorizontal, slots which advance transversely to the hen-laying stationsor nests, as the shuttle or carriage is advanced;

[0024] so arranged that:

[0025] any litter and/or eggs on the mat pass through the leading one ofthe slots for collection of eggs and/or cleaning of litter as theshuttle or carriage is advanced.

[0026] Preferably, cleaned and/or fresh litter is placed on a downstreamportion of the mat to enable the litter to pass through the trailing oneof the slots, as the shuttle or carriage is advanced, to replace thelitter in the laying-stations or nests.

[0027] Preferably, hens nesting on the mat are raised from the litterand/or eggs on the mat onto the intermediate floor section as theshuttle or carriage passes beneath the respective laying stations ornests which the hens occupy.

[0028] Preferably, the top deck or run of the belt or band of theintermediate floor station is timed to match the ground speed of theshuttle.

[0029] Preferably, the surface of the belt or band is variegated (oruneven) to encourage the hens to step onto the mat.

[0030] Preferably, the litter and/or eggs entering the leading one ofthe slots is transferred from the mat to a transfer conveyor on theshuttle or carriage, which is preferably of the spaced rod type toenable the clean litter to fall through the conveyor for collection, thelitter being preferably returned to the mat to be passed through thetrailing one of the slots.

[0031] Preferably, a pair of convergent guides are provided above thetransfer conveyor, where the lower edges of the guide are spacedpreferably a distance not less than one-half of the diameter of typicaleggs being laid by the hens, so that broken eggs/manure/dirty litter canpass under and fall onto a transverse waste conveyor or scraper fordischarge.

[0032] Preferably, the sound eggs (for collection) are directed to atransverse egg collection conveyor.

[0033] Preferably, the sound eggs are expelled from the rod conveyor tothe (transverse) egg conveyor by a finger wheel, which propels the eggsthrough a damper curtain.

[0034] Preferably, the eggs from the egg conveyor are deposited onto anegg belt extending parallel to the elongate zone.

[0035] Preferably, the harvester is mounted on a frame having adjustableheight legs to enable the harvester to be raised or lowered, relative tothe laying shed floor to enable young hens to be trained to enter thelaying stations or nests.

[0036] Preferably, each of the laying stations are arranged with pairsof colony nests (eg., for 1-25 hens) across the mat, and adjacent layingstations are hingedly interconnected to be raised or lowered relative tothe mat as the shuttle or carriage advances.

[0037] Preferably, each laying station or nest has an end wallinterconnected by a pair of side walls, each side wall having a pair ofside wall portions with one side wall portion hingedly connected to theother side wall portion and to the end wall.

[0038] Preferably, a divider curtain extends along the centre line ofthe zone to divide each laying station into a pair of colony nests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferredembodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

[0040]FIG. 1 is a schematic end view of the egg harvester;

[0041]FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a portion of the egg harvestershowing the shuttle or carriage;

[0042]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the portion shown in dashed lines inFIG. 2;

[0043]FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view, corresponding to FIG. 3, theintermediate floor section being omitted for clarity; and

[0044]FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the nesting boxes for thelaying stations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Referring to FIG. 1, the egg harvester 100 is designed for acolony or community-style nest system, and is most commonly installed asa single, standalone system down the centre of the shed. Inexceptionally wide sheds, a second harvester may be provided.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the harvester 100 has a shuttleunit generally indicated 101 which travels along the egg-laying zone inassociation with an elongated mat 10 fixed at each end, on which reststhe hinged connecting nest boxes 20 to be hereinafter described. The mat10, and a top deck 31 of a second conveyor, which forms the intermediatefloor section 30, on the shuttle 101, defines two substantiallyhorizontal slots 40, 90 that pass (transversely) under and elevate thenesting boxes 20 and any birds 50 therein.

[0047] The leading slot 40 allows the eggs E and litter L to passhorizontally into the shuttle 101.

[0048] The rotation of the top deck 31 of the conveyor 30 is timed tomatch the ground speed of the shuttle 101 and gently raises the birds 50from the nest litter L and eggs E, assisted by a variegated-typeconveyor surface. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the birds are retainedin a nest 51, on top of this conveyor surface, by the nest roof 52 andthe side panels 53 on the shuttle.

[0049] The nest contents (eggs and litter) conveyed within the harvesteron a transfer conveyor 60 (having spaced rods 61) (see FIG. 4) thatallows clean litter L to fall through to a location 70 where it can bere-laid on the mat 10 and returned to the nests 51.

[0050] Rattlers 80, being ribbed plastic pads, that the rods 61 of therod-conveyor 60 ride on, enhance the cleaning action separating thelitter L from the eggs E.

[0051] Remaining dirty litter and broken eggs are separated from thesound eggs by compressing and passing underneath a pair of raised angleadjustable height blades 62. As shown in FIG. 4, each rod conveyor 6 isprovided with a pair of the height blades 62 which are convergent toguide the sound eggs to be graded, as hereinafter described.

[0052] The lower faces of the height blades 62 are spaced above the rodconveyors 60 by a distance approximately one-half the diameter of thesound eggs, so that the sound eggs are directed to the gradingapparatus, but the broken eggs/manure/dirty litter can pass onto a tray63 and be wiped onto the floor by a scraper 64 attached to the eggconveyor.

[0053] The sound eggs are graded to the centre section 65 of the rodconveyors 60 by the height blades 62. At the centre section 65, they arepropelled by a finger wheel 66, through a damper curtain 67 and onto atransverse egg conveyor 68 for delivery from the shuttle to an egg belt121 in the egg trunking 120 which extends parallel to the egg harvester100—see FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0054] By use of this arrangement, the sound eggs remain in a controlledmotion at all times and the opportunity for cracking is eliminated—thenest contents (minus the bird) pass horizontally through the leadingslot 40 and onto the rods 61 of the rod conveyor 60 to allow the litterto sift away—still without risk to the egg.

[0055] The second (or trailing) slot 90 allows the clean nest litter toreturn back to the nest 51 and under the nesting birds 50.

[0056] Preferably, the top deck 31 is hinged to allow easy access intothe shuttle 101 for servicing, and gas struts may be provided to assistthe lifting.

[0057] The shuttle 101 includes a pair of spaced discs (or rollers) 102,103 to configure the mat 10 as it passes through the shuttle 101. Thediscs or rollers 102, 103 are spring-loaded to compensate the thermalexpansion and contraction of the nest mat 10 and to maintain correcttension.

[0058] The shuttle 101 is self-propelled by a trailing lead and aspecial compartment on top of the egg trunking 120. The shuttle 101 runsthe entire length of the zone or nest bed at pre-programmed settings.The internal module of the shuttle is oriented at the end of each run byan electric motor in preparation for the next direction run in theopposite direction. Preferably, the entire shuttle is controlled by aPLC within the control enclosure and includes electric drive gear motorsand sensors for monitoring all functions.

[0059] The egg belt 121 is enclosed in a galvanised steel egg trunking120 with a polypropylene curtain on the front. The eggs are continuallyplaced on this belt by the shuttle 101 and stored ready for packing bythe operators. The trunking assembly 120 ensures that the eggs on thebelt 121 are protected from dust and moisture and away from any birdsthat would eat them.

[0060] The collection table is positioned outside the bird area at aconvenient height for the operator. It provides a large work area andstorage for eggs and fillers.

[0061] The conveyor belt 121 is infinitely variable by a remote handcontrol to maximise labour efficiency and minimise the risk of crackedeggs.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, the colony type nests 51 are formed by layingstations which extend across the mat 10 and which have a fixed end wall54 and a pair of side wall portions 53 and a pair of extensions 55. Theside wall portions 53 are attached to the fixed end wall 54 and hingedlyconnected to the extensions 55, while the extensions 55 are hingedlyconnected at their distal ends to the adjacent nesting box 51.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a nest divider curtain 56 is hungalong the centre line of the zone from the nest ceiling.

[0064] Side wall portions 53 are of reduced height for easier entry orexit from the nest by the birds. The side wall portions 53 are folded atright angles to the main body during assembly and are then hingedlyattached to the extensions 55.

[0065] The entire length of the nest box area is embraced by a cable oneach side secured to every nest by split pins.

[0066] It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that othermethods of hingedly connecting the laying station together may includeslots and tabs, accordion-type folds, or indirect connection by cablesand clips.

[0067] The larger colony-type nests which may contain up to 25 birds aremore attractive to the birds as it is more suitable to their biologicalnesting habits. The greater nest area allows a greater density of birdsto nest in a given nest area. The birds can comfortably “jigsaw”together, and in the embodiments shown, the nesting area is up to 20%greater than other imported colony nest systems. (With the smallindividual nests of the egg harvester of WO 92/20222, there was up to40% wasted space around each bird to the wall and corners in a nest.)

[0068] The large open nests 51 allow greater air flow and are thuscooler, which is important in hot climates, and the nesting boxes 51 areeasy and cost-effective to install and are also easy to clean betweenflocks or batches.

[0069] Preferably, the nests 51 are injection-moulded from improvedquality polypropylene for long life and easy cleaning.

[0070] The divider curtain 56 provides an enclosed environment toencourage the birds 50 into the nest 51, but will push aside to allowfreedom of movement for the birds when required.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 1, preferably the perch and walkways 57 areconstructed of galvanised wire which aids in cleaning the birds 50 asthey enter the nest and allow good light penetration under the nest bedto minimise floor eggs. The walkways 57 are hinged to allow them to befolded up for easier access to the nests and the whole system is lightand flexible to enable it to be raised to make it easier to clean outthe shed between the flocks.

[0072] The egg harvester 100 is mounted on a frame 103 on legs 104 ofadjustable height. This is an advantage when training a young flock tolay in a nest, as the harvester 101 can be lowered to just above theshed floor 105. The nest can be lifted to any desired height withoutcorrecting the operation of the shuttle 101 which can operate at anyheight setting.

[0073] At the end of each flock, the system can be lifted on theoptional high lift legs 105 to allow machinery to clean underneath.Alternatively, the system can be winched up for cleaning.

[0074] Preferably, the legs 104 are individually adjustable to allow thesystem to be installed on dirt, or uneven, floors.

[0075] The roof is of the light gable apex-style covered and installeddirectly above the nest boxes and can perform several functions:

[0076] 1. It provides a darker nest environment to encourage birds inthe nest.

[0077] 2. It keeps moisture out of the nests in sheds that are installedwith internal cooling fogger systems. The edges of the roof are alsoextended wide enough to provide a drip line that is clear of the nests.

[0078] 3. The birds are retained in the nests as the shuttle collectsbeneath them by design of the nest roof that forms a seal as the nest israised underneath. This is important as a bird that is at the point oflaying an egg may try to leave the nest and the egg will be layed on thefloor.

[0079] 4. The nest roof is installed on a simple winch system (notshown) which allows it to be easily raised—this is very useful whenservicing the nest or topping up the nest litter levels. (It is anenormous advantage to be able to raise the roof during times of extremeheat—this enables immediate air flow to assist in keeping the birdscomfortable and is a feature not available in any other nesting systems.

[0080] 5. When raising the roof at cleanout time between flocks, thenests can be connected by the provided attachments and also raised andsuspended between the nest roof and the nest beds. This allows easycleaning.

[0081] It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that thepresent invention provides advantages over the harvester disclosed in WO92/20222 and, in particular, in a reduction of cracked eggs duringcollection.

[0082] Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodimentsdescribed and illustrated without departing from the present invention.

1. An egg harvester for collecting eggs of laying hens or the like, including: an elongate hen-laying zone, having a plurality of hen-laying stations or nests along the zone; a flexible mat (or belt or band), extending along the zone forming the floor for the laying stations or nests; a shuttle or carriage movable along the zone; roller, drum, disc or bar means on the shuttle or carriage, engageable with the mat to selectively deflect or guide a portion of the mat, as the shuttle or carriage advances, below the level of adjacent portions of the mat; an intermediate floor section, having a belt or band, on the shuttle or carriage, with respective end portions of the intermediate floor section spaced a vertical distance above the adjacent portions of the mat, the respective end portions of the intermediate floor section and the adjacent portions of the mat forming respective, substantially horizontally-directed, slots which advance transversely to the hen-laying stations or nests, as the shuttle or carriage is advanced; so arranged that: any litter and/or eggs on the mat pass through the leading one of the slots for collection of eggs and/or cleaning of litter) as the shuttle or carriage is advanced.
 2. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 1 wherein: cleaned and/or fresh litter is placed on a downstream portion of the mat to enable the litter to pass through the trailing one of the slots, as the shuttle or carriage is advanced, to replace the litter in the laying stations or nests.
 3. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: hens nesting on the mat are raised from the litter and/or eggs on the mat onto the intermediate floor section as the shuttle or carriage passes beneath the respective laying stations or nests which the hens occupy.
 4. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: the top deck or run of the belt or band of the intermediate floor section is timed to match the speed of the shuttle relative to the flexible mat.
 5. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the surface of the belt or band of the intermediate floor section is variegated or uneven, to encourage the hens to stop onto the belt or band.
 6. An egg harvester as claimed In claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: the litter and/or eggs entering the leading one of the slots is transferred from the mat to a transfer conveyor on the shuttle or carriage, which is of the spaced-rod type to enable the clean litter to fall through the transfer conveyor for collection, the litter being returned to the mat to be passed through the trailing one of the slots.
 7. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 6 wherein: a pair of convergent guides are provided above the transfer conveyor, where the lower edges of the guide are spaced a distance not less than one-half of the diameter of typical eggs being laid by the hens, so that broken eggs/manure/dirty litter can pass under and fall onto a transverse waste conveyor or scraper for discharge.
 8. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 7 wherein: sound eggs, for collection, are directed to a transverse egg collection conveyor.
 9. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 8, wherein: the sound eggs are expelled from the transfer conveyor to the transverse egg conveyor by a finger wheel, which propels the eggs through a damper curtain.
 10. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 9 wherein: the eggs from the egg conveyor are deposited onto an egg belt extending parallel to the elongate zone.
 11. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the harvester is mounted on a frame having adjustable height legs to enable the harvester to be raised or lowered, relative to the laying shed floor to enable young hens to be rained to enter laying stations or nests.
 12. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 11, wherein: each of the laying stations are arranged with pairs of colony nests, for multiple hens, across the mat, and adjacent laying stations are hingedly interconnected to be raised or lowered relative to the mat as the shuttle or carriage advances.
 13. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 12, wherein: each laying station or nest has an end wall interconnected by a pair of side walls, each side wall having a pair of side wall portions with one side wall portion hingedly connected to the other side wall portion and to the end wall.
 14. An egg harvester as claimed in claim 12, wherein: a divider curtain extends along the centre line of the zone to divide each laying station into a pair of colony nests. 